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Dr. Fajardo and his wife Stephanie / Facebook photo

Dr. Fajardo

The bodies of CoxHealth physician Rudolph Fajardo and his wife Stephanie were found in a house on East Norshire Street in Springfield. Police have released few details about the incident. / Nathan Papes/News-Leader

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Stephanie Fajardo was supposed to give her daughter, a first-grader who had been taking riding lessons, a horse on Friday.

That did not happen.

On Saturday, police said the two people found dead early Friday in a home on East Norshire Street were a CoxHealth physician and his wife — Rudolph and Stephanie Fajardo, 35 and 32, respectively.

CoxHealth confirmed Rudolph Fajardo was a physician with the hospital.

At the home, 2100 E. Norshire St., there was no yellow tape or police presence. The only sign of activity was an open green SERVPRO van in the driveway.

The company specializes in cleanup and restoration. Its logo, emblazoned on the side of the van: “Like it never even happened.”

As for what actually did happen, police are so far refusing to say. Autopsies were scheduled for Saturday, but no other information was released.

On Friday, police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said nothing — not even natural causes — was being ruled out. Cox said the incident was first reported at 5:38 a.m. Friday, but who reported what to police remains unclear.

A pink children’s bicycle and toy tricycle could be seen in the backyard. Whether children were in the home at the time of the deaths is unclear.

Family friend Melissa Heil remembered both Fajardos fondly, saying Stephanie Fajardo was a dedicated mother of four children, always full of energy.

“She never looked exhausted. She was always (full of) so much energy and so pleasant to be around,” Heil said.

Some of that energy had been directed toward fostering her daughter’s interest in horseback riding.

“She was really excited about sharing that with her daughter,” Heil said.

Stephanie Fajardo had been a homeroom mother at Disney Elementary and had served on the PTA, Heil recalled. She had just been accepted to an accelerated nursing program at CoxHealth as well.

Though Heil was closer to Stephanie Fajardo, she said Rudolph Fajardo was a generous person who had helped her family. When one of Heil’s children was in the hospital, staff had told her she needed to get her child Pediasure after being discharged.

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Heil was unsure of where to get Pediasure, but a short time later nurses came in with two large cases of Pediasure, a gift from Fajardo, who had apparently seen the concern on her face.

“With his busy doctor schedule, I still would see him on the sideline helping his kids with sports and being the best dad to those adorable children. A great role model for his boys, a loving father for his girls,” Heil wrote on her Facebook page.

In a statement, CoxHealth said Rudolph Fajardo had been employed as a hospitalist since July 2008.

“We are greatly saddened by Friday’s tragic events, and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families affected,” the statement said. “During his time here, Dr. Fajardo was a respected physician. This is a tragic loss for the CoxHealth family.”

CoxHealth also said it had activated its Critical Incident Stress Management team to provide support to those who worked with and knew Rudolph Fajardo.

According to a biography on the CoxHealth website, Rudolph Fajardo attended medical school at Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio. He completed his residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center-Jackson.